Proclamation 438—Establishing the Santa Ynez Forest Reserve in the State of California

Whereas it is provided by section twenty-four of the Act of Congress, approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, entitled, "An act to repeal timber-culture laws, and for other purposes," "That the President of the United States may, from time to time, set apart and reserve, in any State or Territory having public land bearing forests, in any part of the public lands wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth, whether of commercial value or not, as public reservations, and the President shall, by public proclamation, declare the establishment of such reservations and the limits thereof;"

And whereas the public lands in the State of California, within the limits hereinafter described, are in part covered with timber, and it appears that the public good would be promoted by setting apart and reserving said lands as a public reservation;

Now, therefore, I, William McKinley, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested by section twenty-four of the aforesaid Act of Congress, do hereby make known and proclaim that there is hereby reserved from entry or settlement and set apart as a Public Reservation all those certain tracts, pieces or parcels of land lying and being situate in the State of California and particularly described as follows, to wit:

Beginning at a point where the northwestern boundary of the rancho Santa Ann intersects the township line between Townships four (4) and five (5) North, Range twenty-three (23) West, San Bernardino Base and Meridian, California; thence westerly along the township line to the southwest corner of Township five (5) North, Range twenty-four (24) West; thence northerly along the range line to the southeast corner of the rancho Los Prietos y Najalayegua; thence in a general northwesterly direction along the southern boundaries of the ranchos Los Prietos y Najalayegua, San Marcos, Tequepis, Lomas de la Purification and Nojoqui to the eastern boundary of the rancho Las Cruces; thence in a general southerly direction along the eastern boundary of the said rancho Las Cruces to the northern boundary of the rancho Nuestra Senora del Refugio: thence in a general southeasterly direction along the northern boundaries of the ranchos Nuestra Senora del Refugio, Canada del Corral, Los Dos Pueblos, La Goleta, Pueblo and Mission Lands of Santa Barbara and the rancho El Rincon (Arellanes) to its most eastern point; thence in a southwesterly direction along the southern boundary of said rancho to the point where it intersects the township line between Townships three (3) and four (4) North, Range twenty-five (25) West; thence easterly along the township line to the western boundary of the rancho Santa Ann; thence northeasterly along the western boundary of said rancho to its intersection with the township line between Townships four (4) and five (5) North, Range twenty-three (23) West, the place of beginning.

Excepting from the force and effect of this Proclamation all lands which may have been, prior to the date hereof, embraced in any legal entry or covered by any lawful filing duly of record in the proper United States Land Office, or upon which any valid settlement has been made pursuant to law, and the statutory period within which to make entry or filing of record has not expired: Provided, that this exception shall not continue to apply to any particular tract of land unless the entryman, settler or claimant continues to comply with the law under which the entry, filing or settlement was made.

Warning is hereby expressly given to all persons not to make settlement upon the tract of land reserved by this proclamation.

The reservation hereby established shall be known as The Santa Ynez Forest Reserve.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington this 2d day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States the one hundred and twenty-fourth.

WILLIAM MCKINLEY

By the President:

DAVID J. HILL,

Acting Secretary of State.